The American Idea

Jeff is joined by Dr. John Moser, Professor of History, to discuss the pivotal Battle of the Bulge - or Ardennes Offensive - that turned out to be Nazi Germany's last major offensive of World War 2 in northwest Europe. Catching the Allied armies by surprise, Hitler's army pushed deep behind friendly lines, only to be stopped by the weather, lack of supplies, and the stout defensive fighting of American and British forces.

Learn about this great battle in recognition of its 80th anniversary, coming up on 16 December.

#ww2 #ardennes #battleofthebulge #militaryhistory

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Jeff is joined by historian Tevi Troy to discuss an issue of both historical and current relevance: what happens when the interests of commercial and industrial giants clash with those of the president? Is there anything we can learn from past rifts between the likes of Rockefeller and Roosevelt, of Ford and Wilson, to help us understand the impact of Musk, Zuckerberg, and others on our current government? Why do the interests of government and industry diverge, or converge?

#potus #industry #musk #rockefeller

Read Tevi's new book, "The Power and the Money" - https://a.co/d/aVohnM8

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Can we find an honest president, or an honest presidential administration? By what standards do we identify "corruption" when it comes to the White House? Dr. John Robert Greene, author of "Little Helpers: Harry Vaughan, His Cronies, and Corruption in the Truman Administration," joins Jeff to discuss the long and sordid history of presidential scandals and how Americans' views on presidential behavior have changed over time.

Find Prof. Greene's book here: https://a.co/d/j7kG6ao

#president #whitehouse #scandal

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

How bad is our military recruiting crisis? Why are our armed services having sustained problems bringing in and retaining members? And what does this say about our strategic readiness, and what that means for our national security? Jeff is joined by Will Thibeau, former Army Ranger and defense policy authority to discuss this troubling, important issue.

Read "The Soldier and the State" - https://a.co/d/afvwsrY

Read Will's article on the topic: https://tinyurl.com/yw6yk2cu

#nationalsecurity #recruitment #militaryservice

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Jeff is joined by presidential historian Dr. Vincent Cannato, of the University of Massachusetts-Boston to discuss the elections of 2024, with particular focus on the presidential election. What happened? Why? How? What might it all mean?

#trump2024 #harris2024 #elections2024results #elections2024

Read Vincent's most recent book: https://a.co/d/dr12bXU

Visit Vin's website: https://www.vincentcannato.com/

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

We often look at our divisive, shrill, and angry politics as somehow outside of some vague norm, or worse than at any time in our past. Go back to go forward as we look at the Election of 1800 and how two parties reduced themselves to name-calling and lies, and still agreed to the first peaceful exchange of power between opposing parties in history.

Read Jefferson's First Inaugural: https://tinyurl.com/3ymdeh6d

Read Hamilton's thoughts on Aaron Burr: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-25-02-0140

#potus #elections #jefferson #adams

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Jeff and legal scholar Jonathan Turley discuss the importance of a free press in America, as well as the decline of legacy media and the simultaneous rise of the “citizen journalist.” What does all this portend for our republic and our efforts to be informed, rational citizens?

Read Jonathan’s recent book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,”: https://a.co/d/2mnvYzd

Read a review of Turley’s recent book: https://tinyurl.com/4w53v3df

Visit Jonathan's website: https://jonathanturley.org/

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

It's been 80 years since Allied forces under General Douglas MacArthur invaded and, eventually, liberated the Philippines. To discuss the pivotal event in WW2 and world history, Jeff is joined by historian Walter Borneman, author of several books on World War 2, including the excellent "MacArthur at War." Learn about how this invasion came about and how, in many ways, it reflected the complex character of MacArthur himself.

Read MacArthur at War: https://a.co/d/gQiVPr4

Read The Admirals: https://a.co/d/inFEkdR

Check on Walt's recent and current projects: https://www.walterborneman.net/HOME.html

#ww2 #history #militaryhistory #philippines #macarthur

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Temu - it offers lots of cheap goods, right? Did you bother reading the Terms of Service and do you realize just now intrusive this app is when it comes to the rest of the data and personal information on your phone? Did you know that the Chinese government requires - by their law - Chinese companies to turn over user data upon request...and to lie about it when questioned? It's not a stretch to say that Temu, Tiktok, and many other Chinese platforms are intelligence and information gathering tools that are being used to vacuum up vast amount of private information about people from around the world. We're joined this week by strategic and infrastructure intelligence expert Brian Cavanaugh, of American Global Strategies, to discuss this "trojan horse" many of you might have in your pocket right now.

#malware #ccp #communistchina #tiktok #temu

Read Brian's recent article: https://tinyurl.com/5578ht5b

Check out StateArmor: https://statearmor.org/

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

What is civics education and why is it so important in America and for Americans? What are the elements of good - not partisan, no slanted - civic education? Jeff is joined by author and historian Dr. Wilfred McClay to discuss what makes civics among the most important topics we can teach our students, children, and fellow Americans - and why it's far more important than it's usually treated in schools today.

#wilfredmcclay #landofhope #civics #civiceducation #americansociety

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea